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Turkey Producers Aren't Gobbling Up as Many Profits This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving dinner will cost you more this year, but turkey farmers in the Ozarks say they aren't seeing the extra money.

November 10, 2011|Reporter: Lauren Matter, Photographer: Jason Crow | lmatter@kspr.com, jcrow@kspr.com

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, Thanksgiving dinner will gobble up more of your money this year.  It says the average price for turkey and all the trimmings for 10 people will be $40.20, $6 more than last year.

But the extra money isn't helping local turkey farmers.  In fact, some say they might not even sell half of their flock.

"We're getting a little nervous this year," says farmer Armand Bechard.  Bechard says there's a lot more gobbling on his farm this year than last.  "By this time we are normally sold out or very close to being sold out," says Bechard.  Of the 156 birds on his farm, only half are spoken for, something Bechard says he hasn't seen since he started his farm 11 years ago.

"This is really the first year it's hit us. Last year, we were holding our own, but this year, we're really feeling it," Bechard says.  Bechard says the farm cut back this year, anticipating slower sales. 

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The cost of feed has also gone up, which Bechard says doesn't help.  I spent $700 on feed today. That'll cover the next 10 days of production," Bechard recalls. "The economy is down, so you couple that with not being able to afford to raise our prices sufficiently to cover what we normally would cover for a profit margin."

And it's not just his farm seeing slow turkey sales.

"We've talked to two different turkey farmers who we know and everybody is feeling the same crunch," states Bechard.  Luckily, Bechard says his turkey sales are only about 15% of his total profit.

But even with milk, soap, and other meat to sell, he says out on the farm, any drop in profit can quickly gobble up his bottom line.  Bechard says he hopes to sell all his turkeys before Christmas.

If he has any extra, he plans to give them to needy families in the area.

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